Our view: Thank you, John Walsh

the Midland Daily News

Published
7:00 pm EST, Tuesday, December 16, 2008

America owes John Walsh a great deal of gratitude.

Walsh turned personal tragedy into an awareness for children's safety that has become embedded in our society. It is because of Walsh's efforts that many missing children have come home safely, 1,049 fugitives have been caught and security at schools and stores has been increased.

Walsh's son, Adam, 6, was abducted 27 years ago while playing unattended at a department store in Florida. His decapitated head was found two weeks later; his body has never been found. On Tuesday, Florida police closed the case based on circumstantial evidence, and named a dead serial killer as responsible.

Twenty-seven years ago, consumed with grief, John Walsh could have faded from the headlines and gone back to his life as a hotel developer. And that certainly would have been OK.

But instead he chose to remain in the headlines to seek justice for his son, and for the missing children who would come after Adam. Walsh's efforts have helped put missing children's faces on milk cartons and in mailboxes, started fingerprinting programs and have helped comfort other families of missing children.

His efforts also have spurred the creation of missing persons units at every large police department, prompted legislation to create a national center, database and toll-free line devoted to missing children, and prompted the television program "America's Most Wanted," which brought such cases into millions of homes.

We thank John Walsh, and wish his family comfort and some sort of closure.